'till my death take me away

She blinked away tears that formed in her eyes as she saw her fiancé kissing another man loudly who clung to him desperately. She lowered her eyes to the ground, choosing to leave. Leave them away instead of making ruckus. Because what right does she have if she's the one who separate them away? Being an orphan, there was always loneliness in her life. Her heart grew heavier and heavier as, one by one, the children was chosen. Leave the orphanage with a set of loving parents. The orphanage matron always sneered at her. too short too ugly She's always the smallest one in the orphanage. Other children take pleasure in hurting her. Taking her food rations, they lock her away in a dark basement even though they know she has nyctophobia. They were always messing with her chores, so the matron always punished her. The stings of the wooden switch will always be etched in her memories, even though the marks disappeared the day grandma and grandpa took her away. The only saving line that she clutches on tightly like a lifeline is the small necklace with a pendant that contains her baby photo, and a cursive of her name and a sentence that always makes her heart bloom. That let her know that she was once loved. 'Shannon Pricill Gerardi, our beloved little miracle' The matron and the children couldn't take the necklace away, because when she registered as the ward of Iris Orphanage, the civil worker found her necklace at her neck, one that the matron hadn't seen before. Which she gratefully thanked God, because if the matron saw her necklace she would take it and sell it. The civil worker put her necklace on the list of her possession in the data, something they can't manipulate or lie to. So, every time the children's social service come to check the children of the orphanage and check every child's belongings, they cannot lie or steal and sell children's possession that they formally registered as their own. If they do so, they'll suffer heavy consequences. Because of that, the older children make a group to harass her. Because they can't take away her necklace. The first time a couple of parents picked her up and took her to her first foster home, she was so happy that until her new foster parents treated her like their glorious maid. And their biological child always pesters her, makes her do their homework. But that day, workers came to their house. They accused her of stealing something, and when the civil worker came, they snatched her necklace and gave it as evidence that they stole it from her daughter. She didn't know, at nine years of age, that her pretty sparkly necklace was a gold necklace embedded with diamonds all over it. And her foster family was drooling over it. So imagine their surprise, as the civil workers and police scoff, and add crime to their history lists when it shows up from the government data that the necklace is hers, logged as her possession the day they registered her as the orphanage ward. "What is your name, sweet little thing?" She stares at the kind lady, the new civil worker who replaced the one that has always been there since her baby. "Shannon." "Bah!" she winced as her foster dad spat. "That wretched thing's name is Gwendolyn James! The matron said so!" "Sir, you want to shut your mouth if you don't want to add another bad behavior history to your list." the tall police woman scowled at them. "Why did you say your name Shannon, Sweety?" the civil worker lady asked softly. Crouching at her level to not scare her. "The matron always called me Gwendolyn, but I am Shannon, because my necklace says so." She opened her necklace's pendant and showed them her baby photo, but her name made them widen their eyes. "Darn it sir, if I say you're going to have a rough end before, right now? You're going to end up burning in hell." the police officer near his partner whistling lowly. It's all blurry, everything happens so fast, the process she's going through, the chair she slept on the police chair as the kind civil worker lady cover her with soft, big shawl she fished out of her bag, until two young couple and grandpa and grandmas came, their eyes glassy, the way when she always held her tears. "Hello sweet little miracle." Her eyes widened at that. Miracle. The words on her necklace. "I am your grandma, this is your grandpa, and they are your uncles and aunties." Grandma said as tears started to flow down her cheeks. "Grandma?" she whispered shyly. That day was the day the Gerardi's family lost the little miracle was finally found, daughter of the deceased Erick Fabian Gerardi and Catherine Hilton Gerardi that lost and declared missing the day of their demised to a chain car crash at the highway. She never knows the weight of her family name, at least until she's old enough and understands that being the only daughter of five boys (her cousin, overprotective cousin) she was the swan of one of the Conglomerate family, cherished, and protected. And that her family had torn apart the orphanage where she was abused. And crushed down her foster family life. She wants to feel guilty. But she can't They hurt her. But looking at now, maybe this was her punishment for not feeling guilty. Being engaged to her grandpa's best friend's grandson. She said yes because she knew that her grandparents wouldn't give her to someone evil and want to take advantage of her. She didn't know that she force him to engage and leave his lover under the pressure of his family. Maybe the matron was right. She chuckled bitterly. She's just something that messes people's life. Her tears fell on the cold snow. And no one would notice. *** "Are you happy?" a sickly sweet voice jolted her out of her thoughts. "What?" She asked incredulously. The tall, slim man scoffed at her, eyelashes fluttering. She clenched her fingers around her wedding dress. "You must be happy to be Mrs. Kristoff? You must be happy, huh? I bet, how does it feel to be at my place?" She just raised her eyebrows and stare at him until he twitched and squirmed uncomfortably. He scowled at her, eyes burning in anger. "You little sh*t!" He hissed with so much venom in his voice, "Who do you think you are for taking people's man away? Do you think you can own and buy anything you like because you're the Gerardi's precious diamond?" "I-" "And to think that you took Rex away from me through his grandpa's connection with Mr. Gerardi? Wow. All of them can see the true side of who you are, b*tch! It's supposed to be me who stands with him in the aisle, like his cousin, Alex stood with his husband a year ago! Not you, you darn homewrecker!" "Mr. Lawrence, please follow us and exit this room at this moment right away." "Bah!" Raymond Lawrence spat and walked away, guided and under tight monitoring. As the door close, the breath she'd been holding exhaled through her lips, her fingers were trembling and her eyes started to sting with tears. Yes. She knows that she has taken Lawrence's fiancé away. She knows that is wrong. But when she accepted the engagement her grandpa had arranged, she didn't know that she would take Rexford Kristoff from Lawrence. But why should all the guilt be placed on her shoulders? She's not the only one who was given the choice? Rexford is a grown, adult man. He could have been denied the engagement if he didn't want to. So why? "Miss Gerardi? Everyone's ready. Your Grandpa is waiting for you at the main door." The guard that previously took Lawrence away knocked on the door, notified her that it was time that she walked to the aisle. Being Mrs. Kristoff. And marry a man who has a lover, and she bet he would not be faithful to this marriage. But you have to do it. You have to be a grateful child. Right? Plastering her best smile, she stepped outside the bride's room, heels clicking on the church marble floor as she walked. The church where her parents wed in love. "Shannon!" She looked up from the tiny, marble line. To her grandpa's warm, hazel eyes. "My sweet little miracle." Her grandpa's slightly wrinkled hands grasped her hands. "It's just like I am watching your tiny self playing with your brothers and now, I have to give you away to your husband. The protector for the rest of your life." clouded his grandpa's eyes. "Your grandma is waiting inside." "Okay." Bracing herself, she took her grandpa's arms as the door opened, and her eyes locked with Rexford's. *** "No!" Her eyes stared at the pinkish sky. She felt numb. Even as her body was grasped in her husband's arms. As he caressed her face with his bloody hand that once pressured her wound. As his tears fell down and wet her shoulder. "Why? Why did you do that you stupid girl?!" Rex's voice trembled as he frantically balled up his coat and pressed it to her wound while the guards called an ambulance and captured the rest of the culprits that were trying to run away. Taking a breath that felt like a spear stabbing her chest repeatedly. Her breath hitched as she tried to smile, and for once, could rest her head on her husband's chest, the way she always craved when she saw him with his lover. "Because it's my vow to you," she said as his breath hitched. The memories of her wedding flashed away, even though her husband's face was expressionless, she felt joy as they share their vow, smiled at the memories of her husband's face when she uttered her vow. "Because in sickness and health, poor and rich, for better, for worse, I will always hold you as my husband, until my death takes me away." As her vision blackened, the muffled voice of her husband was the last sound that flowed into her ears, along with the sound of his heartbeat. . . TBC